Trouble Comes in Threes
by xCastielsGirlx
Summary: One-shot: When DiNozzo is trapped under rubble in a burning building with McGee, he's convinced it's his third. Only McGee doesn't think so, and is willing to do anything to help his friend in need. DiNozzo/McGee if you squint.


**Author's Note:** Heh ^^; I really should be updating my 'Naruto' FanFic, but I've fallen in love with NCIS lately (as well as Owl City and Misha Collins) and for some bizarre reason, this came to me in the shower, so I _had_ to write it out! I hope you enjoy this small change of fandom!

**Warnings:** light violence, light swearing, reminiscing, light hinted Tony/McGee and a few spoilers (from really old episodes)

**Disclaimer:** *searches on Google*Donald P. Bellisario owns all… I think… does Don McGill own some as well?

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**Trouble Comes in Threes**

It had happened before either of them could've comprehended.

An explosion.

The white, burning light of flames from beside them as they chased the suspect through the second floor of the four-story building. The vibrations coursed through the floor, causing the smaller man to stumble and trip.

"MCGEE!"

It was a call of warning, a small tint of worry expressed. Nevertheless, the man who had shouted ran back to help his partner up; but by that time it was too late.

The building had started to crumble.

"Crap! McGee, is there another way out?" The taller man asked, helping the other- McGee- to his feet. McGee panted, squinting, trying to remember the floor plans of the building.

"N-no. Just the windows- but those are a lost cause," he told the other, eyes darting around to see if he could find another way. A large chunk of ceiling then fell away, landing feet from where the two stood. DiNozzo covered his mouth, coughing into his sleeve.

"You okay?" he asked the other, who just nodded, still coughing from the dust cloud. DiNozzo's eyes sharpened, eyeing up the area and to the flames that were slowly engulfing the building.

"C'mon, McGeek, think!" DiNozzo pressed, reverting to a nickname so as to try and keep the morale up. McGee then snapped, rounding on DiNozzo.

"There is no other way! We're stuck here until help comes!" he almost yelled, shocking the other agent slightly. However, the shock was short lived when DiNozzo let out the small cocky snort he constantly used.

"There was no need to get so defensive, Proby," he commented, earning another short glare.

"Don't tell me that you're afraid of burning buildings that slowly crush and choke you to death," DiNozzo light-heartedly commented. McGee growled at this.

"Dammit, Tony- this isn't funny!" he stressed. Just as the other was about to make another snarky comment, another rumble sounded. More pieces of ceiling fell away, quite close to where they were standing.

"Hey, maybe we should stand where the ceiling's already caved in; that way we won't be crushed by anything," DiNozzo remarked sarcastically, this time receiving a weak glare instead of a full-force one.

"Yeah, that way we'll just be burnt to death, right?" he scathingly replied, making the taller agent shrug.

"At least I'll be warm!" he smirked, which then resulted in him having a fist flung at his face. On instinct, he caught the fist just as it was about to hit his face. His eyes then travelled to the owner of the fist, locking them in a staring contest.

"Tim- calm down," he told the other gently, noticing the stressed posture and the anger radiating from the other. McGee struggled a tiny while to pull his fist back, then going to sit on some rubble and run his hand through his hair. DiNozzo smiled slightly, going to join the other.

"Gibbs is gonna kill you for letting the criminal go," he tried to joke, earning another glare in reply.

"How was I to know he had a bomb ready to detonate?" he asked, which made DiNozzo snort lightly- until there was another sound of an explosion, this time right beneath their feet. The two stumbled where they sat, that being the only feeling before they plummeted downwards to the floor below, landing harshly. Winded, McGee tried his best to push himself into a sitting position, wincing when his chest hurt.

"Ouch, I think I bruised some ribs. Are you okay Tony?" McGee asked, pressing at his ribs, producing a small hiss. There was a small groan for an answer, which made McGee worry slightly.

"Tony?" he asked again, turning every which-way to try and find his partner. His pupils dilated slightly when he found the agent, caught under a mountain of rubble.

"Oh no, no, no, Tony!" he called, stumbling over to the other agent, who just groaned again and opened one eye to look at McGee.

"I'd make a reference, but I don't think I can breathe properly," DiNozzo wheezed, making McGee panic.

"Hang on; I'll move some of this," he told the agent, who smiled appreciatively. The work was in silence as McGee removed the rubble from his partner's form, noticing with relief that DiNozzo seemed to be breathing easier with each heavy piece he removed. Eventually, most of the rubble was removed, aside from the heavy pieces that couldn't be moved by the human hand.

"You okay Tony?" McGee asked, knowing what the answer would be, but still concerned nonetheless. A painful smile overtook DiNozzo's lips as he locked eyes with McGee.

"You really shouldn'ta done that, Proby," he tried to grin, feeling bad when McGee started to panic. With much effort, DiNozzo managed to grab McGee's hand and squeeze it.

"Don't panic; I meant as in now I can bore you with my references," he snickered, watching the panicked expression morph into that of exasperation.

"That wasn't funny, Tony. Shouldn't we call Gibbs?" McGee asked, wanting to be rescued as soon as possible. Letting go of McGee's hand, DiNozzo just smacked himself in the face.

"McGee, I just fell a whole story before getting crushed by rubble with my cell in my back pocket and my radio being next to that _outside_ my pocket- do you really think it's gonna work?" he asked sceptically, earning a small frustrated groan. McGee was now starting to regret sending his phone out for the latest upgrade, meaning that they now had no way of communicating with the outside world.

"I'm sure Gibbs will find out that something's wrong when you get outta here and I'm not with you," DiNozzo deduced, confusing McGee. A frown marred the younger man's face as he stared at his partner.

"What do you mean 'when I get outta here'?" he quizzed, making DiNozzo chuckle.

"Jeez, McGiggles. I don't wanna have to spell it out to ya," DiNozzo told the younger man, a small amount of fear in his voice. It was then that McGee got what DiNozzo was trying to say; it was then that McGee started to protest.

"Tony, listen to me: you're gonna make it out of here. I'm not gonna leave you here, okay?" he tried to comfort, but DiNozzo just coughed in return, a small fleck of blood staining the floor, making McGee wince.

"Tell me I'm lying, McGee. Tell me that I'm wrong and that I will make it out of here alive," DiNozzo scolded, trying to get rid of the taste of blood out of his mouth. McGee looked at a loss for words, still not wanting to believe it.

"This is my third, McGee- the sub was a fluke. Trouble always comes in threes," he reminded the younger agent, who just shook his head in denial.

"This is another fluke, Tony. You're not gonna die here," McGee told both DiNozzo and himself, causing another chuckle from the man underneath the rubble.

"Hey, McGee- y'know when you get those sudden urges?" Tony asked, earning another confused frown- something that DiNozzo had always secretly found amusing, knowing that he'd confused the 'Geek'.

"If you're thinking about getting a tattoo on your ass at a time like this, Tony, I'd consider sending you to the mental hospital instead of the actual hospital," McGee tried to joke, failing when his voice cracked slightly. DiNozzo snorted loudly at that, even letting out a hearty chuckle.

"Do you still have that tattoo?" he asked in wonderment, receiving a chuckle from McGee.

"Let's just say it was one of those urges," he replied, making DiNozzo chuckle some more, before he abruptly stopped, coughing some more, spitting out a bit of blood. Worry then flashed through McGee's eyes and he bit his bottom lip nervously.

"I'm gonna see if I can shift some of these," McGee told DiNozzo, who chuckled once more.

"Tim. Get out; go tell Gibbs what's happened, okay?" he told the other, locking eyes with the other agent, wishing he couldn't read the emotions flashing through them. McGee just sighed and sat next to DiNozzo.

"I'm not leaving, Tony." McGee told the other agent, who just snorted.

"McGee, this is an order. Leave. Now," he snapped, finally losing his temper. McGee then stood up, not facing DiNozzo, but the older male could tell by the way his shoulders were tensed that he was feeling pressed.

"This building's gonna collapse any second. I'd be a terrible person if I let that happen," McGee said aloud, mainly to himself. DiNozzo rolled his eyes.

"Enough of the dramatics, McGee- go!" he told the other, a little bit surprised when McGee just turned around and attempted to shift the heavier pieces of rubble. DiNozzo just sighed, feeling a little lost.

"What are you gonna do when you realise that both my legs are broken?" DiNozzo asked, making McGee freeze in his tracks, but then continue as though nothing had been said.

"You haven't broken both your legs, Tony. You'd know if you had," McGee smiled slightly.

"But, going along with the illusion that you have? I'd have to carry you out whilst you yell out in pain," McGee tried to joke, only ending up hurting himself in the end. DiNozzo smiled slightly at the show of emotion.

"Don't hurt yourself there, McGee," he told the other agent, who just shrugged, finally managing to dislodge one of the larger pieces of debris. There was another explosion on a higher floor, which just sent more rubble tumbling down, striking McGee, knocking him onto the floor and winding him again.

"McGee, are you okay?" DiNozzo asked, trying to push himself forward to reach the other agent. McGee just sat up, wincing once more and struggling to breathe.

"I'm fine, Tony. Just a bit of rubble," he told DiNozzo, tentatively pressing his ribs once again, frowning when they indented slightly.

"I think I broke a rib," he frowned, turning back to the trapped agent, going to try and shift more of the rubble that had further crushed the man.

"Are you okay, Tony?" McGee asked, earning a strained nod in reply as DiNozzo groaned under the increasing weight.

"Oh, now I know how Giles felt," DiNozzo told McGee, who frowned, despite the worry that was coursing through his veins. DiNozzo just rolled his eyes, knowing the McGee had skipped out on another reference.

"Arthur Miller- a famous play writer. His play, 'The Crucible'. Old man Giles is crushed by stones for not telling the name of someone who was going to be a key witness. Y'know, Arthur Miller had a fling with Marilyn Monroe- cool huh?" DiNozzo explained, feeling a little bad when McGee paled slightly at the mention of the person in the play being crushed by stones.

"Yeah, well you're not going to know how he felt when he was finally crushed," the other told him when he tried to shift more of the rubble. DiNozzo coughed once more, a tiny spot of blood dribbling down the side of his face. It was as this happened that McGee started to shake.

"C'mon Tony, don't do that," he muttered, groaning as he shifted another piece of rubble, freeing DiNozzo a little bit more. There were only two large pieces of ceiling to move now and Tony was starting to see a little bit of hope- although his vision was tinted a darker shade than what it was earlier.

"You really shouldn't be doing that with a broken rib, McGee," DiNozzo told the other agent, who just shrugged at the concern that was being shown.

"You really shouldn't be talking with the weight that's on top of you," he bit back managing to slightly shift the large chunk of ceiling that was mainly contributing to the fact of DiNozzo's not-so-steady breathing. McGee was then overrun by a slight panic. Why wasn't DiNozzo breathing properly?

"Tony, can you breathe okay?" he asked hurriedly, earning a smile- with teeth and all- in return. There was also a slight wheezing, but McGee was hoping it wasn't anything serious.

"I'm fine McGee; how's your injury?" he inquired, not wanting McGee focusing on him in the current situation. McGee obviously realised this and frowned, poking DiNozzo in the neck.

"I'm fine. Just one more piece to go and then you're free," McGee relayed, making DiNozzo sigh in relief. However, when he shifted his torso, a warm substance filled his mouth, and so he spat it onto the floor beside him. The tangy taste wasn't pleasant at all, and that made DiNozzo panic.

"McGee, please tell me that I didn't just spit out a mouthful of blood," DiNozzo told the other agent, who frowned, face pale as he managed to finally free DiNozzo.

"Tony, you did not just spit out a mouthful of blood," he lied, making DiNozzo chuckle and then groan as he spat out another mouthful.

"I told you that you should've left me," he muttered, not liking how he was coughing up more blood. McGee ignored him, however, and just placed his arm around DiNozzo's waist, pulling the other agent's arm over his shoulders. Together, the two limped towards a damaged flight of stairs, only pausing now and then to catch their breath. The fire from the earlier explosion was growing, causing smoke to suffocate them. McGee coughed, as well as DiNozzo, but the two of them made their way carefully down the ruined stairwell to notice that the door was in sight. With a sigh of relief, McGee made his way towards it, DiNozzo still in his care. As they arrived, McGee pulled the door open to be blinded by bright sunlight. DiNozzo smiled slightly, then turning to McGee to thank the other. Before he could do that, however, a voice rang out, loud and clear, which made the taller agent wince.

"TONY! Where'd the suspect go?_!_" Gibbs's angry voice rang out, nevertheless he soon caught onto the medical state of his agent and pulled out his mobile phone. In the next moment, Ziva had rushed up to the two of them, worry shown clear in her eyes.

"What happened? Are you alright?" a barrage of questions was thrown towards the two agents, and McGee just sighed, whilst Tony spat out another mouthful of blood- unfortunately onto Gibbs's shoes-, which caused mixed reactions. Worry mixed with a slight annoyance.

"Don't worry Tony; you'll be fine. Are you okay McGee?" Gibbs asked, noticing the way that the smaller agent was holding himself. McGee nodded in return, poking once more at his ribs.

"A broken rib and a few bruised," he relayed, earning a nod in return as the ambulance confirmed that it was on its way.

"What happened to DiNozzo?" Gibbs quizzed, noticing the way a few flecks of blood were marring both men's faces. McGee sighed roughly, placing a hand to his forehead.

"The suspect had an explosion rigged up- we fell from the second floor; DiNozzo was trapped under some rubble, and then there was another explosion which just worsened the situation," McGee explained, to which Gibbs responded by placing a hand on his shoulder.

"You did great, McGee," he complimented, making the smaller agent scoff slightly as the ambulance turned up. The paramedics rushed towards the two agents, two of them attending to Tony whilst one attended to McGee. Tony, however, scoffed at that fact.

"Someone help McNoble over there- he's got a broken rib and bruising; not to mention a brain defect," Tony joked, earning a displeased look from Gibbs. Tony raised an eyebrow in response.

"I ordered him to leave, Boss, and he didn't; he risked his life!" he protested, but Gibbs just turned away from him, an amused smirk on his face.

"That's because you're friends, DiNozzo. I'm sure you'd do the same for him," he called back, making Tony think over what Gibbs had just said. And despite any line of thought that it provoked; the result would be the same. Of course, he'd do the same; only he'd do it with more dramatics. Gibbs made his way over to McGee, who was having his chest attended to.

"You alright, McGee?" Gibbs asked, which earned him a nod in response.

"Yeah; I think Tony's the one who-"

"I didn't mean physically, Tim. Are you alright?" Gibbs asked again, staring directly into McGee's eyes that then widened in understanding.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine. A little shaken up, but fine," he admitted, earning an appreciative pat on the shoulder, which made the agent wince in return.

"Hey, Boss! How's Tony?" McGee called as Gibbs went to walk away.

"Confused," the older agent replied, making McGee frown. "He also need hospital treatment quite urgently; the ambulance is leaving now," he relayed, and sure enough, the ambulance pulled out of the gate of the burning warehouse. McGee let out a small hum and allowed himself to be attended to, content in the knowledge that Tony was safe.

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**Okay, somebody shoot me now 'cause that was terrible! Why did you post it then? I hear you cry? Because I wanted to :3 Also because I REALLY wanted to release an NCIS FanFic with Tony and McGiggles X3 **

**Just a short question- how do you guys like NCIS: LA? I didn't, but hey. ANYWAYS! Sorry for dragging it out and maybe wasting five minutes of your life, but this is my first (but not my last) fic for this fandom! (that sounded cool) and I will be releasing another one soon (With more Tony/McGee hints) by the name of:**

'**That Feeling you can only say what it is in French'**

**Long title, I know; but trust me, Stephen King is a master for that title. It's not going to be like Stephen King's story in any way; but it goes along the lines of 'déjà vu'.**

**Anyways; reviews are loved, cuddled and all that jazz- and I hope to release another NCIS Fic before too long.**

**Ciao!**


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